Pass the Pie, Please!
November gives pie a standing invitation to the table. In Florida, that table has room for pumpkin and pecan, but also Key lime, a gingered pear filling and the occasional savory pie that gets there before dessert.
Choosing one can become its own small seasonal pleasure. Before committing to the Thanksgiving centerpiece, try something for an ordinary weekend. A pie shared after dinner with friends is a perfectly reasonable form of research, especially when everyone has opinions.
Jacksonville’s Mixed Fillings Pie Shop approaches familiar Southern flavors with room for experimentation, making sweet and savory pies from scratch with handmade butter crusts. Chef Natasha Burton, a seventh-generation Floridian, brings a local connection to that work. Find the shop at 440 West Adams Street on Fridays or at Riverside Arts Market on Saturdays, making pie part of a downtown stop or a morning at the market.
The choices widen at Winter Park Pie Company, where fruit, nut and cream fillings share the menu with chicken and beef pot pies. Gingered Pear and Raspberry offers an alternative to the usual holiday lineup, while Pumpkin and Southern Sweet Potato stay close to tradition. This is an online bakery, so build ordering into the plan: allow at least 48 hours, and check the holiday pickup arrangements before promising to bring dessert.
Of course, Florida has a pie tradition that requires no autumnal explanation. In Largo, The Pie Factory began baking in 1990 with its signature Key West Key Lime Pie. The bakery at 12777 Walsingham Road now offers a broader dessert menu, but that original specialty remains a reminder that citrus belongs at a November gathering, too. Pumpkin can share.
Farther up the Gulf Coast, Pies & Provisions in Santa Rosa Beach changes its menu monthly and introduces special holiday flavors for limited delivery dates. It operates from a commercial kitchen rather than a storefront, with preorders generally required at least two days ahead. Checking the current menu is part of the pleasure, and the logistics.
That personal approach continues in North Port at Pielicious Bake Shoppe. Alice White, known as “The Pie Lady,” makes her own fillings and hand-rolls crusts for made-to-order pies. Holiday gift trays feature six-inch mini pies, offering a way to arrive with several choices.
Choose a familiar flavor, leave room for a surprise and let the people around your table settle the debate.
Find more locally made treats in the Florida desserts directory: https://guidetoflorida.com/desserts